Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Lasers, Steam, and Chrome: The History of Science Fiction

Who wrote the first ever science fiction novel? Why is Isaac Asimov hiding his middle initial? And which psychedelic author attempted to murder the most wives?
 
In the latest MFFI episode, Shane snd Duncan answer all of the burning sci-fi-history questions that you never cared enough to ask.
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In this episode:  
The Epic of Gilgamesh?
Johannes Kepler’s 1634 “Somnium” (The Dream)
Mary Shelly and the Mad Scientist Trope
Frankenstein 
The Last Man
Roger Dodsworth: the Reanimated Englishman"
(Another) Last Man: “Le Dernier Homme” by Jean-Baptiste François Xavier Cousin De Grainville 
“The Steam Man of the Prairies”
Johnny Brainerd, Ethan Hopkins and Mickey McSquizzle
Jules Verne and the
Extraordinary Voyages
HG Wells (Herbert George Wells)
Samuel Butler’s “Erewhon”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World
The Futuristic Tales of Rudyard Kipling
Edgar Allen Poe goes to the moon 
Edgar Rice Burroughs: Mars (Barsoom)
The Rise of the Pulps 
Amazing Stories
Astounding Science Fiction
The Big Three:
Robert A Heinlein, Arthur C Clark, and Isaac Yudovick Asimov
Rendezvous with Rama 
Stranger in a strange land
Nightfall
Ray Bradbury?
Fritz Lang’s Metropolis 
Art Deco, Googie, the Jetsons
The Pulp Films: It Came from Outer Space et al 
Science Fiction on Television: Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers
The Impact of the Bomb: How Nuclear Weapons Shaped Sci Fi
Kaiju, On the Beach
Richard Matheson and I Am Legend 
Planet of the Damn Dirty Apes
Frank Herbert and Dune
Phillip K Dick 
Harlan Ellison
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness
Soylent Green
Logan’s Run 
West World
Michael Crichton 
Orson Scott Card Saves the Day
Avoiding Star Wars 
Greg Bear’s Blood Music 
Cyberpunk
William Gibson’s Neuromancer 
Bruce Sterling, Neal Stephenson, Mirrorshades 
Richard Calder’s Dead Things
The Era of Schwarzenegger 
Dan Simmons Hyperion 
Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Series 
The Matrix etc 
YA: Divergent, Maze Runner, Ready Player One, Hunger Games 
Modern Sci Fi 
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Terrible Tools and Awful Inventions

Some inventions are commercial failures (see episode 45), and some are failures of such moral and/or epic proportions that the repercussions reverberate throughout history. These are those failures. 
 
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In this episode:  
Land Mines
Smell-O-Vision
Sony XCP
Zepellins 
Shutter Shades
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 
 
 

Host Swap: The Marriage Episode (Kidnappers, Bloody Sheets, and Evil Spirits)

In the wake of Shane's recent nuptials, Duncan takes the reins to explore the unsettling history and traditions of weddings. What was the original, sinister purpose of the "Best Man"? How are evil spirits related to Bridesmaid's dresses? And in what way is a honeymoon similar to fleeing a crime scene? Listen to find out...
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In this episode:  
Marriage/Ownership
Best Men/Kidnappers
Bridesmaids/Decoys
Wedding Party/Accomplices
Garters/Zombies
White Weddings
Cake Smushing
Wedding Traditions Around the World
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Death, Misery, Folly, and Ponies: The Chilling History of Polar Exploration

Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole? How about the South? It turns out that at least one of those answers is complicated, and although the controversy may never be laid to rest, plenty of would-be arctic conquerors were themselves laid to rest during the golden age of polar exploration. Join MFFI for the fascinating, brutal, bloody, pony-packed tale of the race for polar glory. 
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In this episode:  
The "Top" of the World
Map Makers, Eurocentrism, and the West Wing
Polar Facts
90 Degrees Latitude
The Polar Day, the Tilt of the Earth, and Polar Seasons
Alert, Canada
Nautical Twilight
Thomas Nast and Santa Claus
Russia Claims the Pole
The Northwest Passage
Prices of Spices
Robert McClure and the HMS Investigator 
The Magnetic North Pole VS the True North Pole
The Lost Franklin Expedition of 1845
The Arsenic-Poisoning of Charles Francis Hall
The Crushing of George W Delong
The Crashing of Salomon August Andree
The Race Between Robert Peary and Frederick A Cook
The Contributions of Matthew Henson
Polar Bear Liver
The Race for the South Pole 
Roald Amundsum
Fridtjof Nansen and the Fram
The Night of the Ponies
Amundson Takes the Pole
Amundson Takes Another Pole
The Death of Amundson
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 
 
 

The Fiery, Pagan History of Halloween

Why do we wear costumes on Halloween? When did pumpkins and candy get involved? And how the heck do you pronounce "Samhain"?
Listen to find out...
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In this episode:  
Celtic Festivals, Gaelic Origins
Samhain and Beltane
Fairies (The Aos Si)
Bonfires, Livestock, Leaps
Liminal Celebrations
The Romans and Feralia
Pomona
Apple Bobbing? 
Feast of All Martyrs
Pope Boniface IV
Pope Gregory III
All Saints Day (All Hallows Day)
Feast of All Souls
All Hallows Day/Evening
Allhallowe'en
Souling and Allhallowtide
Soul Cakes
Souling Plays
Guising
Mischief Night
Jack O'Lanterns 
Stingy Jack
Turnip Lanterns
Trick or Treating
Candy Corn
Pet Costumes
Calorie Counts
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 
 
 

Lost Treasures: From Crown Jewels to Fabergé Eggs

After a series of deep-dive episodes chock full of useful information, the boys are back to form with an entirely off-the-rails and nonsensical romp through the history of some of the world's most famous, celebrated lost treasures. Pointless, silly fun. Enjoy!
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In this episode:  
The Scepter of Dagobert
The Three Brothers
Faberge Eggs
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

The Fascinating History of Personality Tests

Are personality tests accurate? How were they developed, how reliable is the science behind them, and which are most respected? Most importantly: which developers of personality tests were sexy MFers and which of them wrote erotic fiction about old men? Follow along to discover the strange history behind personality tests. 
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In this episode:  
WW1 and Shell Shock (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
The Robert Sessions Woodworth Personal Data Sheet (WPDS)
Carl Jung's Psychological Types
Katherine Cook Briggs
Isabel Briggs Meyers
The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The 8 Functions
The 16 Types
The Forer (Barnum) Effect
CPP (Formerly Consulting Psychologists Press)
ENTJ, The CEO Type
Objective vs Projective Tests
Hermann Rorschach, Sexy Badass
Psychodiagnostik
Pareidolia
The Rorschach Test
Ink Blot Interpretation (Klecksography)
Gobolinks
The Five Factor Model (FFM, or the Big 5)
Enneagram
Type A and Type B 
The DISC Model
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

The Pirate, the Silk Road, and the Dark Web: Ross Ulbricht‘s Empire

Ross Ulbricht created the most notorious website in history when he launched the The Silk Road in 2011. An online marketplace for drugs, guns, poisons, and explosives, the Silk Road would become synonymous with the Internet's lawless new frontier: the so-called "Dark Web."
But what really IS the Dark Web? And how did a middle-class suburban kid become the notorious criminal kingpin known as the "Dread Pirate Roberts"?
Fire up your TOR browser and cover your digital tracks as you follow Shane and Duncan into the darkest depths of the web for a fascinating true story of drugs, contract killings, and betrayal.  
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In this episode:  
Deep Vs Dark
Ross Ulbricht, Libertarian
TOR (The Onion Router) 
The Bitcoin Connection
'Shrooms
Altoid
Dread Pirate Roberts
Variety Jones
The Kingpin Statute
Gawker and Chuck Schumer
Julia and Erica
Ross's Rules and the "Nonaggression Principle"
DEA, FBI, and IRS
Agent Carl Force, aka Nob
Curtis Green, aka ChronicPain
Agent Shaun Bridges, Thief 
Assassinations
IRS Agent Gary Alford
Caught
Trial and Sentencing 
Carla Sophia, the "French Maid"
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 
 
 

Hunting for Easter Eggs: Secrets Hidden in Movies and Video Games

Ten episodes away from the big 1-0-0, the boys are hunting for the true origin story of the elusive video-game Easter egg. (Hint: Ready Player One got it wrong.) Follow along as Shane guides Duncan through some of the most famous, interesting, or pathetically failed examples of hidden content from movies and games. 
 
PS: is there an Easter Egg in episode 90? Guess you'll have to keep listening to find out...
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In this episode:  
Debunking Spielberg's Version of the First Easter Egg
Adventure, by Warren Robinett
Adam Clayton, Snitch
Not Fixed by Brad Stewart
Steve Wright and the Origin of the Term "Easter Egg"
Video Whizball and the First Name Drop
The True Origin: Moonlander, by Jack Burness
The DEC G40
Red Faction: Armageddon and Mr. Toots 
Stormtrooper Blooper and the Battlefront Homage
Resident Evil and the Jill Sandwich
Castlevania CD Remix
Doom II and John Romero's Head
Diablo's Nonexistent Cow-Level
Diablo II's Actual Hidden Cow-Level
Batman: Arkham Asylum and the Product-Placement Easter Egg
Konami, Solid Snake, Psycho Mantis, and the Creepiest of Easter eggs
The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Literal Easter eggs
Back to the Future and the Case of the Disappearing Pine
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction, and Nick Fury's Tombstone
Ezekial 25:17, Murder Monologue
Big Kahuna Burger and the Tarantino/Rodriguez connection 
From Dusk Till Dawn, Reservoir Dogs, Four Rooms, Death Proof
Indiana Jones and Droid Hieroglyphs  (C-3PO and R2D2)
The Phantom Menace (Galactic Senate E.T.s)
Ready Player One and the Death of Easter Eggs
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Common Misconceptions about Animals

Do bears really hibernate? What does the color green look like to a cat? And most importantly, is ice cream flavored with beaver butts? Find the answers to these and other essential animal-related questions in this week's episode of MFFI. 
In this episode:  
Do Bears Hibernate?
Are Bats Blind?
Can Dogs and Cats See Color?
Can Owls Spin Their Heads Around?
Are Penguins Monogamous?
Is Ice Cream Flavored With Beaver Butts?
Do Cats Love Milk?
Have Primates (Like Koko) Actually Learned Sign Language?
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~